To The Horizon!
by Jey Yeong
Summary: AU. Star Butterfly, Magical Princess of Mewni, shipped off to spend her high school years at a unique school known as Echo Creek Vocational and Specialization Academy. She expected it to be boring. She was wrong. With the struggles of love and classes, it was going to be hard enough. But certain students aren't normal humans either. And something dark is waiting over the horizon.


**Back in the fold, my readers. This'll be my first writing piece in quite a while.**

 **Also my first first person story. Hopefully it's up to snuff.**

 **This will be entirely AU. Just a fun little story. Look for cameos in future chapters too.**

 **I do not own Star Vs The Forces of Evil, nor do I own any of the characters or concepts from the show.**

 **Hail to Daron Nefcy.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1 - LIFE, START!**

I've heard people say that everything happens for a reason.

I'd be motivated to agree.

Although I'm not entirely sure if I'm happy about it or not.

Wait, wait, wait. That's not exactly the best way to start off. Let's start with some juicy deets.

My name is Star Butterfly. I'm a princess from another dimension. You know, unicorns and rainbows and colorful destruction. I come from a place called Mewni. My mother and father are the queen and king, obviously. I grew up there, spent my whole life waiting for the day I got my magic wand and started training how to use it. Well, long story short, everything caught on fire. Like, literally everything. Buildings, crops, cows, the castle, the people. I mean, no one died, but it probably didn't look too good.

Anyway, I was super worried my mom was going to send me to Saint O's School for Wayward Princesses. Cue the loud screaming. Turns out, that wasn't what was in the cards, thank corn. Instead, I've been sent to this little place called Earth. After my parents did a little investigating, they decided to send me to some place called Echo Creek Vocational and Specialization Academy. Wow, that's a mouthful. I'm just going to call it Echo Creek Academy. Not exactly a short name either, but at least it rolls off the tongue better. Maybe I'll just abbreviate it to ECA. Yeah, let's just call it that. Cool? Cool.

So, I'm off to some place I don't know much about. Let's not forget I don't know anyone either.

Look, I totally love my mom and dad. Dad is a little bit crazy, but he's always been super involved in my life and takes really good care of me. My mom... Our relationship is a lot different. I know that she loves me and just wants the best for me. But she's also been super strict and kinda cold. She really doesn't like how free-spirited I am. She wanted me to be like her. Prim and proper, not trying to have any fun. She wanted me to act "like a princess should" and all that junk. It's just not me. I know someday I'm going to have to give up all the fun I have and take the throne. It's what I'm destined to do.

But I totally don't have to do that right now!

I want to be able to have fun before I have to become the queen.

Thinking about it, maybe Echo Creek and Earth are exactly what I need.

Though... It kind of bothers me how they're so willing to send me off.

Well, whatever. No point in moping about it.

I'll be living on campus, it's by a ton of stuff to do, etc.

All I really have to do is keep my being a magical princess on the down low.

Anyway, let's hurry up and get to where I am now.

* * *

"Next stop, Echo Creek!" The bus driver shouts loudly over the all of us.

The bus isn't packed, but there are two students in every seat almost.

And we're just a small part of the freshman class!

I'd love to spark a little party on here, but magic isn't something I'm supposed to do.

Don't want mom to send me to... Saint O's. Screaming intensifies.

Just as we're pulling away, I see a boy drop down on the seat next to mine. I'm immediately drawn to his adorable mole on his right cheek. His dark brown hair matches his brown eyes. He's got a red hoodie on, along with dark grey skinny jeans. He sure sports a modest look, but it suits him. I don't even know him, but I get feelings about things. That's definitely the perfect look for him.

"Hey," He says with a disarming smile, "I'm Marco Diaz. Straight A student, misunderstood bad boy."

I take one look and him and don't believe that last part for a second.

It's confirmed when a boy a couple seats up turns and shouts, "He ain't a bad boy, that's safe kid Diaz!"

Marco turns his eyes forward and glares daggers before shyly looking back to me.

He's cute, that's for sure. Although, with his lowkey look punctuated by his plain hoodie, I can tell he isn't the bad boy type even without the interruption. He sure looks like he believes he is, though. But honestly, he seems like someone that would be cool to be friends with. My feelings are super strong on it. Maybe I can make a friend before we even get on campus! Here we go, Butterfly. Don't screw this up.

"Hi," I reply as casually as possible, "I'm Star Butterfly, and I have no idea what I'm doing!"

... That was NOT what I meant to say. Didn't think I could screw it up THAT fast.

To my surprise, he giggles quietly. Maybe I didn't blow it.

"That makes two of us. I've never been super far away from my parents before, let alone living on campus."

He shrugs, smile holding strong. And I totally feel him. But I'm excited about it.

"Well, let's make sure we have an awesome time then!"

He laughs, but nods. "I'm sure we're gonna have a great time."

We easily fall into a casual conversation. He's actually super cool.

Before I know it, the two hour bus ride is over.

"Here we are, get off." The bus driver jokes over the loud speaker.

"Well, looks like we've arrived in one piece." Marco comments with a smile.

Honestly, I'm a little disappointed. I really liked talking with him.

"Yeah," I reply as we get off the bus, "It was super cool talking to you."

"Likewise."

Ugh, I don't want to be done talking with him. Come on, Star. Do something.

"Well, we've got today to get settled in our rooms. Would you wanna hang out later?"

He blinks in surprise before smiling, "I'd really like that."

Yes! Points to me!

We quickly trade phone numbers and bid farewell.

That was pretty nice. I made a friend, and we're going to hang out!

* * *

Looking up, I realize just how big the campus is. I can see a ton of buildings literally covering miles.

The grounds are super well maintained. There's little things like fountains and benches all over the place. Oh yeah, I got a good vibe from this place. Buuuuuuuut, I should probably check that map board. I have no idea where I'm going. It'd probably be fun to get lost here, but I don't want to miss a chance to hang with Marco later. I might not get another chance, at least not for a while.

Hmm... Oh it says I'm here! Wow, it sure is smart. Okay, where's the dorms?

After glancing at the map, I quickly make my short walk to the dorms, pulling out my letter of acceptance. Room 201, Sher Building.

A little bit of walking later, I find my way to the room. It's on the second floor, but literally right next to the stairs.

Here we go, this is the start of my high school career on Earth.

With a deep breath, I insert my key and open the door.

I glance around before my vision rests on a girl casually laying on her bed, scrolling through her phone.

She looks up with a look of confusion, then smiles with a lazy wave.

"Sup?" She asks, "I'm Jackie Lynn Thomas."

Taking a glance at her, the girl looks like a super model. Her eyes are vibrant green and beautiful. She also has striking platinum blond hair with an aqua streak on the side. A seashell necklace dangles on her shirt. Huh, I'm sensing a pattern here. She's super pretty, but I'm getting an equally friendly vibe from her. I think I got lucky, my roommate seems super chill.

"I'm Star Butterfly! I guess we're gonna be roomies" I reply with a smile.

"Cool. So, Star Butterfly, tell me about yourself." She says, moving to sit on the side of her bed.

She wants to know about me? I'll need to be super vague.

"Not from around here. I lived super far away. I really like fun."

Wow, way to sound like a toddler. Luckily she doesn't lose her smile.

"Well, Star Butterfly from not around here, I'm into fun stuff as well."

I can hear a little playfulness in her voice. I think I'm gonna like this girl.

We get to talking casually as I unpack my two bags, being careful to keep my spell book and wand in the backpack as I shove it under my bed. I quickly tuck my clothes into the drawers and place my knick-knacks on my desk. I'll figure out something to do with them later. I might just shove them in a different drawer and totally not forget about them. Actually, I'm going to do exactly that. Into the drawer, oh little things I don't need!

I drop down on my bed and talk about random stuff with Jackie.

She's super chill. I think we'll be good friends.

"So, what's your class schedule look like?" She asks, pulling out her own acceptance letter. "Maybe we have a class together."

After scanning both our schedules, I find we have several of the same professors, but only one class together. Hey, it's biology on Monday mornings! I guess I'll be walking to class with Jackie on Mondays. More importantly, I'll know somebody in my first class! This is so great!

"Yo!" She exclaims happily yet somehow calmly, "We can totally rock our first class together."

"You know it girl!" I shout, bumping fists with her.

Just then, my phone goes off. I glance at the text.

 **Marco** : Hey Star. All settled in?I thought it would be fun to walk the campus together.

Aww, he texted first. Friendship target acquired. I quickly answer.

 **Star** : Sounds great! Meet by the fountain in front of the dorms?

 **Marco** : Works for me. See ya in a few!

I glance back to Jackie, "I'm gonna go hang out with a friend for a little bit."

"Cool." She smiles, "Here, let's trade numbers before you go."

After the digit swap, I practically skip my way towards the fountain.

* * *

By the time I get there, Marco is already looking comfortable.

He's sitting on the fountain's edge, scrolling on his phone.

When I'm just a few feet from him, he looks up at me with a smile.

"Star. Glad you made it. I was starting to grow moss."

I can't help but smile back. There's just something about him.

"Sorry, oh moldy Marco. I was the held up with the things."

His smile changes to a smirk as he gets up. I quickly follow him.

We walk around for a little bit, looking at buildings and the signs that describe them.

There's a musical conservatory, the different class buildings, a huge fitness center, even a pond where students were fishing and feeding the ducks. Honestly, this campus is amazing. It feels like there's literally everything here. It's also REALLY big. We walk for nearly an hour, just making small talk and observing everything we pass by. He mentioned something about how he wants adventure. If I wasn't being forced to keep my magic a secret, I'd give that to him. Apparently he also does some Earth martial art called karate. Didn't think of him as a fighter. I wonder just how good he is.

While we're walking, I can see why he got the nickname 'safe kid'. He protectively guides me around things like broken glass and torn up sidewalks. It's amazing how he seems to catch every little thing going on around him. And it makes me feel really happy that he's looking out for me so intently.

Honestly, he's really sweet. A little uptight, but sweet.

Anything we seem to talk about seems great.

Before I know it, the sun is starting to set.

He glances at his phone, "Well, we should probably head back to our dorms now. The orientation starts at noon tomorrow."

"Yeah..." I sigh.

He catches my tone instantly.

"We can hang out after the orientation too." He comments, "I mean, if you want." He quickly tacks on.

I find myself smiling again. I don't know what it is, but I really like this guy.

"We definitely will!" I shout, maybe a little too excitedly.

We make a little more conversation before he actually walks me all the way up to my room, despite my protests that he really didn't have to. I don't even know how to describe him anymore. He's such a gentleman. He even waits until I unlock my door and step inside! This boy is a treasure and must be protected.

I surprise him with a hug before he goes, and I could swear he blushed a little.

It's probably just my imagination though. Or wishful thinking. Whatever comes first.

As I close the door, I realize Jackie isn't in the room. I think I'll text her.

 **Star** : Yo gurl I'm back! Where you at?

I begin to change into my sleepwear as the phone dings.

 **Jackie** : Yo gurl I realized we didn't have any snackage.

Wow, she's on top of everything. How'd I forget snacks?

This girl might be my spirit animal.

 **Star** : Oh no! The horror!

 **Jackie** : Have no fear! I ventured to the campus store.

 **Star** : I'm not worthy! lol

 **Jackie** : lol I'll be there in a few

 **Star** : Okii be safe walking back

 **Jackie** : I got this

I set the phone down and lay in my bed.

For some reason, Marco keeps popping into my head. I got lucky meeting him.

I can almost feel sleep biting before a knock startles me back up.

Lazily, I make my way to the door. When opened, I'm greeted with Jackie carefully carrying several bags.

She looks overloaded actually. That's fixed when she drops them all on her bed.

There's a huge variety. Chips, soda, candy, even some pickles and jerky.

"I got, like, literally everything." She says with a proud smile.

"Awesome! Uhm, why so much though?" I ask, thoroughly impressed.

She turns to me with her winning smile, "Girl talk all night! If you're down."

I can't help but smile find myself bouncing up and down, "Oh, I'm so down!"

And so, we begin our all-night snack and chat binge, flipping on the small tv and letting it play in the background. There was literally nothing on. Good thing we weren't going to pay attention to it anyway. After an unsuccessful attempt to find anything, we just leave it on some movie channel and resume talking.

"So..." Jackie begins, "What'd you do today?"

"Well, I was hanging out with my new friend Marco." I answer happily.

"Wait, Marco?" She raises her eyebrows, "It wouldn't happen to be Marco Diaz, would it?"

I'm a little surprised she knows who he is. Now, I'm curious.

"Yeah, actually. Wait, you know him?"

Jackie's smile returns, "Yeah, man! We've been in the same class since like forever. He's a little quiet and uptight, but he's a really sweet guy. If he's the first friend you made on campus, you made a really good lead-off pick."

"I'd say so. He was really alert, walked me around anything even slightly dangerous. The sidewalk was no match for Marco Diaz!" I joke, earning a laugh from Jackie. "But seriously, he's so sweet. It's cute."

That earns me a nod in response.

I think I'm going to ask some of my own questions. "So, you know him pretty well then?"

Her smile lowers a bit, "Yeah. He used to have a really hard time talking to me. My friend Janna said he had a crush on me."

My heart seems to feel a little weird for some reason. Wait... Nope, nope, nope!

She had her eye on him way before me.

"So, you two are dating?" I find myself asking.

Her smile is very subdued now, "No. He's super nice, though. I know he's an amazing guy though. If he asked me out, I'd be willing to give a relationship a try. He might've tried before, but I guess he just gets nervous. I think he might not like me like that, honestly."

Oh, what's that? Idea, that's what!

"I could totally find out for you!" I exclaim.

Jackie seems surprised by my statement, "Would you really?"

"Girl, I don't say what I can't do!" I affirm proudly.

"And you don't mind?" She asks. She seems really hesitant to ask me to do it.

I smile, clutching a fist, "I wouldn't offer if I minded!"

She smiles warmer than ever before.

"That would be super cool if you did that for me."

"I'm all cool, Jackie!" I smile, pointing a thumb towards myself.

"You know you don't have to, right? I don't want to bother you." She's still hesitant. That's no good!

"Jackie." I say, looking in her eyes, "We're friends, it's no problem!"

She makes an 'O' with her lips, "We're friends?"

Now I'm just confused. We're sitting here, pulling an all-nighter, eating unhealthy junk food, and gossiping.  
I thought that's what friends did? I hope I didn't make the wrong assumption.

"I mean," I respond cautiously, "If you wanna be."

A smile bigger than all her others breaks across her face, "Totally! I really wanted to be, actually. I was worried I might've come on too strong."

I laugh, "Girl, I wanted to be friends too! You're so cool and super chill! I mean, I should be surprised you want to be! You're over here looking like a super model, and I'm the new girl no one knows!"

She laughs right back, "Girl, what are you saying? You're more model than me! Like a princess, but way cooler!"

The reality in relation to that is so close, it makes me laugh even more, "Well, I guess we're model friends now!"

"Totes!"

And so, the night goes on. We talk and laugh, and just bond.

I really like Jackie, she's a good friend! I made two awesome friends in a day!

And now I'm trying to set them up! Go me!

The night flies by, and soon the sun is breaking over the horizon.

"That. Was. So. Fun! All night, no problem." I comment happily.

"No night can slow us down!" She confirms.

But why do I feel like I forgot something important?

... Oh dang it.

"Jackie..." I start slowly.

She glances over, confused at my change in tone, "Yeah?"

"Isn't orientation today?" I ask, knowing the answer.

"... Crap."

* * *

 **To be continued!**

 **Keep calm, Starco and Jarco fans. A plot cometh this way.**

 **Perhaps you can already see the future conflict of interests.**


End file.
